Indiana primary moved to June 2 in response to COVID-19 pandemic

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb listens as Secretary of State Connie Lawson speaks during a news conference at the Statehouse, Friday, March 20, 2020, in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings/AP)

The Indiana primary election has been moved from May 5 to June 2 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Friday.

The decision was reached in conjunction with Secretary of State Connie Lawson and Indiana Republican and Democratic party chairman a day after Holcomb said he’d support postponing the primary.

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“While May 5 is about seven weeks away, the work that is needed to properly conduct this election and complete it, whether it be programming the machines themselves or sending out ballots ... that is all currently under way,” Holcomb said. “Just as I said from this exact position yesterday, my view on that fast approaching primary election is it needed to be pushed back in order to ensure the safety of our county employees, poll workers and voters.”

To that end, all corresponding dates with the primary election will be moved by 28 days to align with the new June 2 date, Holcomb said. Using that formula, Lawson said it is likely that early voting will start May 5, though the Indiana Election Commission will decide when early voting will start in the coming days.

“It will be a learning process for all of us, and we’ll continue to work together in the days and weeks ahead. I am confident that we will conduct a safe, secure and fair election,” Lawson said.

Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Director Michelle Fajman said the decision to postpone the primary election is “a good decision” and gives the county “more time to plan.”

Compared to other presidential primary years, Fajman said the office has seen an increase in calls from residents asking to vote by mail. Fajman said the office will be sending out about 1,200 mail-in ballots Friday, which is “a little bit more” compared to previous presidential years.

“It’s a new world we’re living in and people are scared, and rightfully so,” Fajman said.

Lake County Board of Elections and Registration Assistant Director LeAnn Angerman said that the office will comply with the Indiana Election Commission’s finalized voting calendar.

“We are prepared to adjust in any way necessary to hold a smooth election,” Angerman said.

In Porter County, Clerk Jessica Bailey said she has a list of recommendations from the Secretary of State’s Office and the state party chairs but won’t have the full details until after the election commission meets Wednesday.

For now, she knows all of the primary dates have shifted 28 days, including the deadline for campaign finance reports and the start of early voting.

An election board meeting originally scheduled for March 19 and rescheduled for March 23 will likely be moved again so the board has all of the information it needs for the state before it meets, Bailey said.

“I know based on (Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s) recommendations, we’re not going to have to recreate anything,” she said, adding absentee ballots have already been printed and the voting equipment has already been coded. “Everything says, ‘Primary 2020, May 5.’”

Election officials already have more than 600 applications for absentee ballots ready to go out in the mail, said Becky Rauch, assistant director of Elections and Voter Registration. The office also has sent out almost 370 absentee ballots.

While there has been a crush of requests for applications over the past couple of days, Rauch said, she doesn’t know if that will slow down now that people have more time.

Officials will continue to process absentee ballot applications, Bailey said, and work with a new, later deadline to register voters, which was April 6.

“Now it looks like we can go to May 4 or around that date, the day before early voting could start,” she said.

Porter County Republican Party Chairman Michael Simpson said moving the election to June 2 is “the right thing to do,” in tandem with continuing to promote mail-in ballots, something Holcomb and state election officials have lifted the strictures on.

“Even if we get this thing tamped down in the next 30 days, it’s better safe than sorry,” Simpson said. “It’s an opportunity for everyone in Indiana to cast their vote and cast their view.”

Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dan Dernulc said that postponing the election “is the right thing to do” because the cases of COVID-19 are “going up exponentially.” Dernulc said he has maintained that postponing the election will make the voting process safer for poll workers and voters.

“Giving a month is the right thing right now. It’s not taking rights away, but it’s a pause,” Dernulc said.

Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser said that the state should consider using mail-in voting because it is unclear how long the pandemic will last.

“I understand why the governor is looking at flexibility, but when you have an alternative like mail-in ballots ... it seems like a logical thing to do,” Wieser said. “Postponing the election three weeks doesn’t give me comfort that the situation will be safer for poll workers and voters."